When the Nintendo Entertainment System made its American debut in late 1985, the very notion of console games had become anathema to the buyers and managers who determined what consumers would see in the nation’s department stores and shopping malls. Two years later, those naysayers had been silenced as the NES became a dominant force—not just among video games and toys, but at retail in general.

When the Nintendo Entertainment System made its American debut in late 1985, the very notion of console games had become anathema to the buyers and managers who determined what consumers would see in the nation’s department stores and shopping malls. Two years later, those naysayers had been silenced as the NES became a dominant force—not just among video games and toys, but at retail in general.